Operation: Wedding
by rsx70209
Summary: Summary: Grissom plans on telling Sara just how much she means, but he isn't going to be able to do it alone. The gang's got a few ideas to help him out and he's all for it. And for this story's sake, Sara never left Vegas, they were allowed to stay on t
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimor: Don't own anything but the story :)**

**Summary: Grissom plans on telling Sara just how much she means, but he isn't going to be able to do it alone. The gang's got a few ideas to help him out and he's all for it. (And for this story's sake, Sara never left Vegas, they were allowed to stay on the same shift, and Ecklie isn't the world's biggest jerk)**

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A few weeks had passed, and life at the Las Vegas Crime Lab had finally settled back down to a familiar routine. Everyone was more at ease now that Sara and Grissom's relationship was out in the open, even Ecklie was being supportive. He did, however, have one rule.

"No kissing or lovey-dovey stuff while on the clock. Knowing you two are... intimate is enough. Actually _seeing_ it... yeah, let's just not go there, ok?" he told them while they held a little pow-wow in his office. Grissom and Sara both looked at each other and then down at their entwined hands, smiled and nodded there heads in agreement. After an awkward silence, Ecklie gave them the signal that they could leave and get to work. They got out of their chairs, still holding hands, and walked out and down the hallway to the break room.

"Hey, I've got to run home real quick. I forgot a spare change of clothes," Sara looked at the clock and realized she still had a good hour before shift would even start and that she had plenty of time. "Maybe I'll take a shower too... wanna come home with me?" she asked, lowering her voice and smiling at him.

_Hell yes I want to go!_ he thought to himself. "Uhmm... actually, I just remembered I've still got some paperwork to do. You go on and I'll stay here," he said, smiling at her, hoping she would believe his little lie. She stared at him with a questioning look, and for a moment he thought she'd caught him. To his relief, she shrugged her shoulders, hugged him and whispered into his ear," Ok, but you owe me later," and turned to walk towards the exit. As soon as he saw her leave, he dashed towards his office and closed the door so he could begin setting up what he'd planned.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at his door, followed by Catherine cracking the door open just enough to poke her head in. She saw him sitting behind his desk with a look on his face as if he were attempting to solve the world's most advanced crossword anyone had ever seen. He didn't even notice that she had entered until he heard the door shut. She stood right by the door, just in case he asked her to go for now.

"Oh! Catherine, hi. You're here a little early, aren't you?" Grissom asked, still looking frustrated.

"Yeah, I came to talk to you about the case that Nick and I were working and that we had a new lead..." she told him. When she was met with silence and a blank stare, she decided to do a little digging. " Ok, Gil. What's up? What's bothering you?". He stared at her for a moment, then looked back down at his desk, pressing his fingers together like he always did when he was coming up with a way to explain something. Catherine walked closer and sat down across from him with impatience somewhat showing on her face. "Gil, you know I'll find out eventually so why don't you spare the both of us and just tell me?". He looked up at her, knowing it was true. Catherine could get anything out of anyone, no matter how hard they fought. He sighed a bit and leaned back in his chair.

"I was planning on doing something ...well something special. For Sara. And I had it all planned out and everything, but now I'm not so sure and... I'm so confused."

Catherine sat back and smiled. _'Men in love' _she thought _'always in need of some assistance_'. She waited for him to finally look back up at her before she said anything. "You're going to ask her aren't you? Well, it's about damn time! Why didn't you say anything?You know that we would've helped you out," she said going over and hugging her friend. Now he wasn't really one for hugs, unless they were from Sara, but Grissom got up and pulled Catherine into a warm hug and smiled.

"Would you, Cath? I'm in pretty desperate need of help right now. I'm going absolutely crazy trying to do this myself, and I'm sure you've got a few suggestions I would've never thought of," he admitted, smiling shyly at his longtime friend.

"Of course, Gil! I'd be happy to help you. But just so you know, this isn't all going down tonight. We need to plan for at least another couple of days. Is that alright?" she pulled out of the hug and held his arms. At first she thought he'd say no, but he simply smiled and nodded his head. She smiled back and just then Nick, Greg and Warrick all stopped at the doorway.

"Uh, hey, Bossman. I was just gonna ask you if you'd seen Catherine anywhere, but I found ya both," Nick said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. We were looking everywhere for you," Greg piped up.

"What's going on? Why all the smiles?" asked Warrick.

"Alright, gentlemen. Grissom here has decided to ask Sara the big question and needs our help," Catherine told them, pointing to every one of them. The immediate applause and whistles had Grissom blushing, but he nodded, assuring them she was serious.

"About time, man!" Warrick and Nick both said.

"We've only got about an hour to get this started," explained Grissom, "Sara'll be here pretty soon."

"Ok guys, roll up our sleaves. We've got a proposal to plan!" and with that, the gang headed off in the direction of the breakroom to get the plan underway.

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_Ok so what did you think? Good start? Horrible start? Lemme know hm? :) points at review button_


	2. Phase One: Nick

**Disclaimor: Yup, it's the same as the first chpt. so just look there.**

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The whole night shift (minus Sara) was headed down the corridor, with Catherine practically dragging Grissom saying 'Come on, Gil. Quit dragging your ass! We need to get this started!"

Grissom sighed, thinking it may have been a bit of a bad choice to have given into Catherine. At the same time, however, he realized that having a woman's perspective of this was a great advantage. _I won't screw it up with stupid guy stuff... well not completely anyway_ he thought. They reached the break room and she let go of his arm, leaving behind irritated red marks where her nails had been.

"Catherine, if I didn't know any better, I'd say your more excited than _me_," Grissom stated, rubbing him arm and wincing a little.

"Oh, stop your whining. And of course I'm excited! I never thought I'd see the day Gilbert Grissom proposed," she replied, beaming. She stood there, looking at her best friend as a hue of red started to creep over his cheeks all the way to his ears. He was sort of embarrassed by all of the attention, but he appreciated his friends' help. They all sat down around the table and were about to begin their plannings when none other than Conrad Ecklie stomped into the room.

"What's going on here? This is a crime lab, not some college dorm to 'chill' in. You've all got cases, don't you?" he asked, eyeing them all questioningly. Sometimes, he was such a royal pain in the ass. Even Hodges had said something once, and he was _the_ biggest suck up ever.

"Actually, shift doesn't start for another hour, Conrad. They aren't even required to be here right now," Grissom informed him.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to get a jump start on things, does it?" He smiled smuggly at Gil and turned to look at the rest of the gang. "Willows, Brown and Sanders; I've got assignments for you all right now. Stokes, review the last case you wrapped. Make sure you didn't miss anything, ok?" After a few grumbles and beginnings of protests, the team sulked out the door, assignments in hand. Warrick looked at Grissom apologetically before turning and heading out the door. Greg mumbled 'sorry' to him and left looking like a kid who'd been scolded and sen to his room without dessert. Catherine walked over to Gil and promised that they'd all be back to help just as soon as they could. She walked to the door and turned and waved at Nick and Grissom, then headed out to her car to go to the scene. _Well that didn't go exactly as planned, but Nick's still here. Maybe he and I can still get something going_ Grissom thought to himself. As if he'd read his mind, Nick turned to him and smiled and said, "Okay, Bossman. While all that was going on, I came up with a few questions that might help get this whole thing goin'."

"Alright, questions. Sounds good to me Nicky," Gris said, leaning back in his chair.

"Hmm... ok, what are some of the things you thought of first?" he asked, a pencil in hand and paper in front of him lile he was taking notes in a class.

"Ah... well I thought of leaving a bunch of little notes with riddles... you know, a sort of... treasure hunt. They'd be all throughout the lab, and there'd be clues on them as to where she could find the next one, ya know? And uhmm... flowers! Yeah, flowers.." Nick watched, intrigued by the sparkle that danced in his boss's eye and the boyish grin that sread across his face while he explained all of this to him._ Boy, he really does love her. I've never seen him like this. Well, except that one time when he got that new buterfly collection._ Nick smiled to himself and kept listening to Grissom go on. About ten minutes later, Grissom stopped talking and leaned forward.

"That it, there Gris?" Nick asked, laughing a bit. He didn't rememeber the last time he'd heard Grissom talk for that long, if ever.

"Mhm, pretty sure... yeah," he concluded.

"Well, that's a mighty fine list we've got. Now I have a question: can you sing?" Grissom looked at his co-worker a bit puzzled; sing? It wasn't exactly a habit of his, but he'd been told he wasn't bad. Nick waited for the question to fully process in his mind and waited for Grissom to answer him.

"Well, _anyone_ can sing, Nick..." Grissom told him, tilting his head down shyly. _Sing? He really want's me to sing? Oh boy._

" That may be true, but you know what I meant, Gris. Can you sing?" Nick repeated.

"Yes... I can sing, Nick. But what does that have to do with anything?" Grissom asked, a bit confused on where exactly Nick was going with this.

"Well, I think you should sing for Sara. Chicks kinda dig a guy that can keep a tune. Ever wonder why rock stars get all the girls?" he smiled and winked at his boss, receiving a chuckle from him. Grissom smiled and thought it was a great idea. However, a sudden realization struck him, and the grin was gone from his face and turned to a frown. _Well the fact that I can sing doesn't really mean anything if I don't have a song to sing _he thought.

"What's the matter? Gris.. hey, what's wrong?" Nick asked, concerned by the look on his friend's face.

"Well... I was just thinking... what song would I sing?" It was true that Nick hadn't thought of that. Both men sat back for a few minutes, pondering on all the songs they'd ever heard that might be appropriate for this. Grissom was stumped, but luckily Nick came to the rescue.

"I know what you could sing!" and with that, he ran to the locker room, opened his locker and pulled out a CD, and ran back to the breakroom. "Here... try... this... one," he said, a bit out of breath, pointing to the CD he'd brought back with him. For a moment, Grissom thought that Nick had perhaps gone off his rocker. _Rascal Flatts? Aren't most of their songs about being alone and heartbreak? _

Nick saw the look on his face and quickly pointed a song title on the back of the case. " It's called 'Love You Out Loud'," he told Gil, smiling. "I was listening to this the other day on the way to a scene and Sara was with me. I remember her saying she really liked it." Grissom looked up at Nick and then down at the CD in his hands. He knew that this would definately not be easy, but anything was worth it for Sara.

"So, what d'ya say?" There was a slight pause. Grissom stared at the CD for a minute longer, then smiled and looked up at Nick and nodded. Nick smiled and laughed, with a 'yeah, alright!' tossed in there. Before they knew it, they were talking about how he would learn the song and who how he was going to do this.

"I'll help you out, Gris. I know that CD pretty well. I can even play the fiddle," Nick said, laughing. Grissom smiled and then began laughing too. The two men continued laughing until Nick noticed someone had walked into the breakroom. Grissom turned around to see Sara standing there, smiling.

"Hey, I was just coming in and heard a lot of laughing and decided I should come and see what was so funny," she said, holding back a laugh herself. Grissom looked at her and then turned to Nick silently pleading _Help me!_ across the table. Nick got the message and spoke up

"Oh, hey Sara! I was just tellin' Gris here one of my favorite jokes. C'mon, I'll tell ya in the locker room. We've got a case together tonight, so we should go get ready." He got up and walked to where Sara was standing. He hugged her, told her he'd meet her there in a minute and came back over to Grissom and grinned. "We've got to be more careful. She could've heard us and then all this would've been ruined," he said, holding back a laugh. Grissom chuckled and nodded. That was certainly true. The breakroom at the lab was not the most covert place they could've picked. As Nick was walking out, he called back, " Oh, hey. We'll have to work out some time to get those song lessons underway. Catch ya later, Bossman." Grissom sat in his chair for a minute more, then decided to head to his office, where a lifetime of paperwork lay in wait. However, he smiled. _Singing lessons. I'm going to sing for her. I wonder what else is gonna come up..._

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_Isn't Nick great? Haha :D Anyway, reviews are appreciated... please? : Sneak peak to those who do!_


	3. Phase Two: Greggo

**Disclaimor: same as the first two chapters :P I still don't own anything and never will. Well... besides my posters and DVD sets :D**

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Shift went by fairly quickly... well for at least it did for Greg. His case was a routine B&E, which made him grumble in disappointment when Ecklie had first handed it to him. _Great... Warrick gets a DB outside the MGM Grand, Catherine had a murder and Nick got to review his case before going on his next DOUBLE murder with Sara. It's not fair; he STILL treats me like a rookie_ he thought, huffing his way to his SUV. But then a sudden realization hit him as he sat in the driver's side: he could get back faster and help Grissom out. He smiled, started his engine and hurried to his scene, already thinking about what he'd do after he was done.

About three hours later, Greg arrived back at the lab, stumbling a bit attempting to carry his evidence bags in at once; all fifteen of them. Grissom had been going over paperwork and was in serious need of coffee just so he could keep himself sane after reviewing dozens of reports. He leaned back in his chair yawning and rubbing his eyes. He got up and headed out into the hallway when he was suddenly bumped into the wall by someone who looked as if they were performing a balancing act with full evidence bags. He was about to lose it with them, but then he noted the bits of bleached hair sticking out at odd angles and restrained himself and laughed._ Greg... cooky kid with a wacked out sense of style but you gotta love 'em_ he thought. He got up and brushed himself off and continued on his quest for coffee knowing that Greg had made a pot of his special coffee before he left earlier. After getting himself a nice mug, Grissom went back to his office only to find Greg sitting in the guest chair.

"Heyyy, Gris. I hope I'm not bothering you. I just thought we could talk about your..." he looked around to make sure that no one was around to hear and then leaned closer to him and whispered, " plans for Sara." Grissom leaned back in his chair and smiled. He'd known that Greg had always had a bit of a crush on Sara and was glad that, despite things never going down that path for the two of them, he was still willing to help him out with his proposal plans.

"Sure, we can talk about it, Greg. Nick gave me some suggestions earlier, but then Sara came in so our time got cut off," he informed him. He looked over at Greg who smiled at him.

"What did Nick tell-I'm sorry, _suggest_ to you?" he asked excitedly. Grissom almost laughed at his young coworker, but decided against it, remembering the days when such little things got him riled up too.

"He _suggested_ that I sing for Sara. Even picked out the song, though I don't think it's your music of choice, Greg," he said handing over the CD to him. Greg's eyes immediately widened with shock and his mouth fell agape. He looked up at his boss and tried talking, but looked like a fish out of water.

"You... are gonna sing... _Rascal Flatts?!" _he finally choked out. Grissom simply nodded. "But, but... why? Why.. them? There are so many bands to chose from.. so many songs and-" his list of complaints was cut short by Grissom handing him a sheet with lyrics written on it. Confused, Greg stared at it for a moment and then began reading it. A smile slowly crept to his face; not necessarily a happy one, but one of understanding. "Wow, Gris. This song.. these lyrics... they're perfect," he said, astonished. He'd always looked at Grissom as insightful, but this opened a whole new door for him. He looked back up and saw his boss, smiling brightly and looking genuinly happy. A silent understanding passed between the two of them, followed by a welcome and comforting moment of quiet. After a minute or so, Greg decided to speak up.

"So... besides the song, what else did you have planned?"

"I was actually waiting to hear any suggestions you might have, Greg. I love outside input. It's been rather helpful in this case, with the song and all" Grissom replied. Greg sat back, getting lost in deep thought. He'd always wondered what it would be like, proposing to someone. He'd pictured something other than the cliche' of getting down on one knee and such. It was too conformist to him. His brow furrowed as he wracked his brain for something Sara would like, since Nick had beaten him to the musical aspect. Suddenly, it came to him and spread through his body with a jolt. He grinned broadly and Grissom looked strangley at him.

"Have you thought of having someone be a back-up or background singer? The song has more than just the lead singer singing. Oh, and just to put it out there I can play guitar and I even know that song that Nick and you picked," Greg said. Grissom had to admit he was impressed. He knew Greg was bright, but he thought his suggestions, though simple, were better than anything he'd thought of. He simply smiled at him and shook his head 'no'. Greg smiled back, practically beaming with excitement. He thought he was going to burst if Grissom didn't say something soon.

"Sooooo... is that a 'No, Greg, I hadn't thought of that and it sounds wonderful and you can do those two things', or is it a 'No, I don't want to do that at all and you're idea is completely bonkers'?" Greg asked, words coming a million miles per hour from him. He was bouncing in his seat as if he'd eaten a bag of sugar before he'd come into work and to be honest, it was freaking Grissom out a little.

"I think _you're_ crazy, not your idea. I'd love it if you'd do that, Greg," Grissom said, laughing. "I'm sure that Sara would, too," he added, bringing a huge grin across Greg's face. Greg blushed a bit, then stood up and prepared to leave Grissom's office. As he was about to open the door, he turned and looked at Grissom again. Grissom looked up from the file he had begun thumbing through, noticing Greg still standing there. "Yes, Greg?" he asked a bit confused.

It took him a moment to find the right words, but he finally spoke up. " I just wanted to let you know... you've got one of the greatest people ever to share your life with, Gris. Sara is the most amazing woman I've ever known... And I think- no, I _know_ that you two are gonna be happy together. Forever..." and with that, he walked out of the office and down the hallway. Grissom sat behind his desk, still a bit shocked by Greg's words. It meant a lot when other people had told him that, but for some reason hearing it from him had struck him in his heart. He'd practically watched him grow up through the years, from DNA lab tech to a successful crime scene investigator and in some ways felt a father-son bond with him. He knew he'd have to make this up to him somehow, but for now he had work to do.

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_Hey, me again! I'm sure most of you get the idea of how I'm writing this now lol. Anywho, reviews are great. They let me know whether you love or dislike what I'm writing and if I should continue or throw in the towel._


	4. Phase Three: Warrick

**Disclaimor: Uhm I'm pretty sure we all know the drill by now. If not please see chapter 1 **

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The next few days in the Las Vegas Crime Lab seemed to pass by at about the pace of a snail. It seemed that the claim of being ' the city that never sleeps' would have to be changed if things kept up. As night fell, the members of the graveyard shift came strollling into the breakroom waiting for Grissom to come and hand out assignments. Greg got up and started a pot of his famously delicious coffee, Warrick and Nick turned on the Playstation 2 and started a football game, and Sara and Catherine sat at the table having a bit of breakfast and talked about Lindsey and all her drama. Grissom walked into the room about ten minutes later, empty-handed.

"Uhm, Grissom did you forget to check your box for assignment slips today?" asked Catherine.

"Nope, I checked. There wasn't anything there is all, " he replied with a shrug. "I guess that means there aren't any cases for us tonight, guys."

"Aww... but wait. Does that mean that we all just... go home now?" asked Greg looking up at his boss from the coffee pot. Nick and Warrick paused their game and turned to look at him too, as did Sara and Catherine. He sat for a minute, thinking if that was true. He couldn't remember the last time there had been a dead night in Vegas.

"Well... I guess there's really no sense in sitting around here all night, is there? If something comes up, just be sure that someone can get ahold of you." Grissom said.

"Will do, boss. Night, y'all !" called Nick on his way out. Catherine got up and walked out the door behind him and Greg followed, coffee in hand.

"What? I see no point in waisting perfectly good coffee," he said when Catherine laughed and shook her head. Sara came next, wlking up to him and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She knew he had to stay behind for a bit to finish up on paperwork _"What else is new, Gilbert Grissom?" _she'd said on their way out of the house earlier, laughing. Just as Grissom was walking towards the door, Warrick stepped in front of him.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something real quick, Gris. If you wouldn't mind," he said leaning against the door frame.

"No, it's fine, Rick. Come on in my office with me. I've got some files and stuff in there to finish up anyways," Grissom said. A small smile came across Warrcik's face and both men walked down the hallways until they reached Grissom's office. Both walked in and sat down, trying to get settled. A few minutes later, they sat in a comfortable silence until Warrcik decided to break it.

"So... you and Sara, hm?" he said, leaning back into his chair. "I always knew you two would be together someday. I could tell the minute I saw you two with each other that you'd get to where you are now." Grissom couldn't help but smile when he heard this. He'd heard that quite a few times from his friends, but this was the first time he and Warrcik had really approached the subject. He'd been having a rough past couple of months with his divorce and Grissom had just focused on helping him get through it.

"Tina and I never had what you've got," he continued, " Hell, we didn't even come close. We didn't communicate. We didn't know how and in the end it killed us," he said with a heavy sigh. His eyes wandered up to the ceiling where they focused on the air vent. The two men sat there for awhile like that- in complete silence other than the sound of their rhythmatic breathing. Grissom wasn't sure exactly what to say to attempt to pull Warrick out from his rut, but then again maybe just listening was what he needed most. Warrick finally brought his head back down to face his boss. Sadness was etched across his face, but in the depths of his green eyes Grissom saw a twinkle of hope and knew that his friend would find his way and regain the happiness he'd lost.

" I lucked out, you know. I always thought she deserved better than me," Grissom said, a serious expression on his face.

"Are you serious? Gris, you and Sara are a match made in heaven. She loves you for who you are, flaws and all. That's something special. Hold onto it and never ever let it- or her- go," said Warrick, who had stood up and made his way over to the desk. "So I talked to Nick and Greg about your plans, you know. Sounds like you've got quite the proposal in progress. And I meant to tell you I heard you singing the other day in the locker room... not bad, " he said with a grin. Grissom's cheeks and ears turned a dark shade of pink and he mumbled a 'thank you'. Warrick laughed and patted Grissom on the shoulder.

"Relax. Everything's gonna be just fine. You know that and I know that, so just relax. Oh, I did have a suggestion though. Nick showed me his list of things you'd said. About the notes? I think you should only leave a few and in places she'd look everyday. Getting her keys, her locker- you know, places like that. And don't make them detailed. Simple is the best way to go in this case," Warrick said with a wink.

"But-" Grissom started, but Warrick shook his head.

"No buts. Remember when you sent her that plant? Was the card filled with a story? No. It had two words, right? 'From Grissom' if I remember correctly.Keep it simple. She loves when you do little things like that, Grissom. If you need help on what to say, I'm your guy." Grissom nodded his head in agreement, remembering what she had once said to him.'_ I don't need fancy gifts or expensive things. Simplicity is all I need in this world. That, and you'._

He and Warrick said their good-byes and just as he was about to start on a case review, he put the folder back on his desk. Work could wait. Tonight, he was going to go home and just be with Sara.

Sometimes, it's the simplest things that matter the most.

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_Sorry that it took me so long to post. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I just couldn't focus long enough to write until now. Forgive me? I'll give you a cake if you do! :D_


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